Microsoft's Office 2016 preview now available to all Windows users

Microsoft is inviting Windows users to try out a public beta build of its Office 2016 productivity suite.

This is the second preview build of Office 2016; the first was released back in March although it was only available to developers and IT professionals. The new build is being offered to Windows 7, 8 and 10 desktop, notebook and tablet users – both those with and without an Office 365 subscription. Mac users have also been able to test drive Office 2016 for a few weeks now.

As ZDNet points out, you’ll need to first uninstall Office 2013 in order to use the new preview as the two can’t run side-by-side. The publication further notes that Microsoft plans to update the public preview on a regular basis both before and after its commercial debut.

Microsoft says Office 2016 has been designed for the modern workplace with smart tools for individuals, teams and businesses. For example, you’ll be able to easily attach files from OneDrive within Outlook and have access to real-time co-authoring and Tell Me, the new search tool for Excel, PowerPoint and Word.

Office 2016 is still on pace for a fall launch meaning it won’t arrive alongside Windows 10 this summer. Last month, AMD CEO Lisa Su accidentally revealed that Microsoft’s new operating system would be launching at the end of July.